Page 202 of Come Back To Me

I can’t hear what he says as I let my head fall back, no longer able to hold it up. The distorted image of Jack slips into view. I don’t know if it’s real or if I’m seeing what I want to believe.

He’s drilling the man who killed his mother’s head into the ground. Over and over he slams it down, his hands dripping withblood, his face tight with anger. Unconsciousness almost has me, but I know Cain’s already dead.

Jack heard every word. It’s done.

Even with all my broken pieces, a calming peace washes over me. It ripples, numbing me from my head to my toes, dousing me in a fervent bliss. There’s no pain anymore. All my fear has steadily slipped away.

My hand tightens around the paper in my grasp. For them—the last thing I can give Mads and my daughter—I finally admit I was enough.

I close my eyes.

Three things I would change.It’s no longer me, myself and I.

I wasn’t perfect.

But Iwasenough.

Chapter Forty-Eight

MADISON

We’ve been on the road for three and a half hours. They’re so quiet at this time in the morning, a false sense of calm has set around us. It’s unnerving. Like the calm before the storm, I know the worst is yet to come.

My hands haven’t stopped shaking. My tears haven’t stopped falling. As soon as I answered Jess’ phone, I knew by the rattle of Travis’ voice that my worst fear was coming true. Dean was hurt. And for a man who’s never shown me any signs of being scared, I knew Travis was terrified.

He wouldn’t tell me the extent of Dean’s injuries; he simply begged me to get to the hospital.There wasn’t much time.

We grabbed our things and said goodbye, getting on the road mere minutes after taking the call. I’ll speak to Bex properly once I know what’s going on, but right now, under the pulsing beat of the lights lighting up the motorway, all I can see is the image of the man whoismy world. Without him, I don’t see how I make it through.

I send Lauren and Mollie a message as fresh tears spill over my lashes. The thought of not seeing him before… No. I shake my head. That isn’t an option. He’ll make it. He’ll pull through whatever’s happened. He has to.

“Drive faster,” I tell Jess.

Already pushing 85mph, her foot hits the floor, and I’m sucked into my seat. He just has to wait. My promise to always run to him has never changed. I’m coming back to you, VP. Wait for me.

Jess brakes hard, parking the car directly outside of Accident and Emergency. My head bangs, my legs ache from sitting down for so long.

I swing open the car door, running toward the entrance as fast as I possibly can.

“Go steady,” Jess scolds, but I ignore her, unable to think about anything other than getting inside to Dean.

The glass doors zip open. “Dean Carter?” I say to the desk before I’m even there. “He was brought in earlier.” My voice cracks. My bottom lip wobbles uncontrollably. All I can think is that it took too long—we took too long getting here.

“You are?” The woman’s eyes search mine.

“I’m his wife.” I don’t know why those words come out. But I know that’s how I feel—it’s what I want. “Where is he?”

She scrolls through her computer, looking intensely at the screen. Seconds feel like hours. The only sound I can hear is the drum of my heartbeat in my ears. “He’s still in theatre.”

I spin away from the desk.

“Hey! You can’t—”

Ignoring the people in the waiting room, the lady behind the desk shouts at me as I push open the double doors through to the next set of rooms. I hear Jess apologise as I read the signs suspended above me, seeing ‘theatre’ up ahead.

Running as best I can, I make my way to the end of the corridor, taking a right past endless bays, some with curtains drawn, some open. I feel eyes on me as I keep going, my feet slipping on the polished floor. I fling open another set of doors leading to another waiting room. Where is he?

A nurse doing her rounds shouts at me to stop.

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